152 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
sums up : — “ Every government hath something wherein it is best. 
Monarchy is honourable and glorious-like before men ; aristocracy 
for counsel is safest ; democracy for liberty, and possibly for riches 
and gain, is best.” “A limited and mixed monarchy, such as is 
in England and Scotland, seems to me the best government, when 
parliaments, with the king, have the good of all the three. The 
government hath glory, order, unity, from a monarch; from the 
government of the wisest it hath safety of counsel, stability, and 
strength; from the influence of the commons it hath liberty, 
privileges, promptitude of obedience.” 
These quiet, well chosen, moderate words contain the first enuncia- 
tion, as far as I know, in the English language, of the true estimate 
of the British Constitution. Written as it was, when the king of 
England was at war with the parliament, the clear good sense of 
the Scottish divine brushed away the numberless fallacies by which 
the daily round of political life was then beset, and moved neither 
by divine right, or theocracy, or republicanism, announced in these 
unfaltering words the doctrine which was to raise Britain among 
the nations. 
What part the early dawnings of Cromwell’s ambition played in 
inciting Butherford to this demonstration, we can hardly tell ; but 
so it is that while Scotland sounded the first note of resistance, she 
never was republican. Butherford’s book, like Buchanan’s, was, 
after the Bestoration, condemned to be burnt by the hands of the 
common hangman ; and he himself only escaped punishment by his 
supervening death. 
Of the work itself, Bishop Guthrie says, that “ every member of 
the Westminster Assembly had in his hand that book lately 
published by Mr Samuel Butherford, which was so idolised that 
whereas Buchanan’s treatise f De Jure Begni apud Scotos’ was looked 
upon as an oracle, this coming forth, it (Buchanan’s) was slighted 
as not anti-monarchical enough, and Butherford’s ‘ Lex Bex’ only 
thought authentic.” 
In regard to the views of the Scotch Presbyterians and the English 
Independents, it has been too little considered that these different 
schools of thought arose from different roots. The Presbyterian 
opinions were those of the successful Beformers, the Independents 
reflected those of the persecuted Puritans. There was no tinge of 
